This 2016 Philippines Presidential Election is so dirty. My Facebook newsfeed are filled with election updates with almost everyone are trying to trample other presidential candidates to uplift their chosen presidential candidates with the latest black propaganda. People starting to become catty, exchanging heated discussions online and unfriending & blocking each other because you don’t share the same opinion. Isn’t our main goal is to have a better country? We may all have opposing opinions as to who will be the better leader to preside our country but our goal is the same: a brighter better Philippines.

The official election day has come! My husband and I took advantage of the overseas voting here in Singapore, so we voted earlier from our kababayans in the Philippines. Honestly, it would have been easy to just opt out of voting for this election. To be frank, I didn’t know who to choose from 5 presidential candidates. One has outstanding wit and guts but she seems to lack the physical strength to lead our country. Health is important! She hardly campaigns for herself and didn’t even attend a presidential debate. Being a president of a country is not a stroll in the park. Stress is regular companion. Can she handle it? One is an allegedly brilliant thief and has become a laughingstock throughout the campaign period. Though you have to admire his thick skin for pushing through with it and charming the lower social class with his ‘generous’ ways & claim of being the reason for the ‘massive’ improvement of a certain part of urban Manila. Another candidate comes off too fake with a stick up his ass which makes people just love to hate him. Do we want a president who lacks sense of humour? Aren’t we Filipinos known for our carefree happy attitude? Are we being misrepresented if we chose him? He may have credentials for the job but a lot of issues are thrown at him that people doubts his ability to lead Filipinos to a straight path. One candidate reminds me too much of an ex-boyfriend who is charming as hell when he was courting me. He was devilishly charismatic, it was easy for me to believe his empty promises and delusion of grandeur of his ability to be my savior  to this cruel cruel world. But he never fulfilled any of his promises and I was just left with a broken heart. Will this candidate do the same? Break my heart too? There is another one where if I were just to choose someone who would resonate a brand that I would root for, it would be this candidate. She is classy. She has great taste in fashion. She speaks eloquently. She exudes grace and finesse. But choosing a president is not about packaging nor it is choosing the ‘Asia Next Top Model.’ We are choosing someone who will be a leader. Apparently, this candidate lacks the experience to be in such a high position. Since I am a doctor, let me put in a scenario I am familiar with.  Would anyone allow a 4th year medical student do a major operation like Whipple’s Procedure as the head surgeon? I am pretty there will be a  bigwig consultant whispering in her ears in every step (which will happen this pristine candidate when she wins).

See, there is an obvious lack of good choices, why did I still vote? You see, the right of suffrage is a privilege granted to us, citizens, since we are a democratic  country. I studied the programs of each candidates. I assessed their strengths &  weaknesses and so I chose among them, the least ‘evil’. I want to have a voice in the outcome of this election. It maybe a small voice but I want to give my stand on the matter. I don’t want to just complain when in fact I didn’t participate at all in the matter. I know people who actively voice out their strong stance in this year’s election through social media, courting a fight with opposing parties but in reality, didn’t even bothered to register to vote.

I have seen it time and time again. We like pointing fingers at others. We like putting a blame on someone when something doesn’t go the way we want. I have seen us, Filipinos, complaining and even ousting the politicians we put into office. Who voted for them? Wasn’t it us? We are always dissatisfied with the presidents we have recently elected after Marcos time. You see, a nation cannot rise from poverty & be a first-world country just by a good leader. A good leader needs good followers. Nobody’s perfect. Each leaders will have their own weaknesses. So please, who will ever win this presidential term, can we, as one nation, practice solidarity and support the newly elected president? And please no more impeachment, no more useless rallies just because you don’t agree that he deserves the post as president. I believe that whoever will win as long as we stand by the new president with pragmatic support and practice discipline, respect and patriotism as citizens to our country, we can rise and improve our nation. Mabuhay tayo!

P.S. Please once the presidential election is over, stop with the annoying argument about who should have been the better president. Please don’t treat the Philippine election like it is a cockfight. It’s our country for goodness sake. Don’t let your egos get in the way with it.